Gasket



1957 R. E. MOORE ETAL 2,81

GASKET Filed Jan. 25. 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 2a 29 |o a J E SDI m 4? as 41 4a 40 7 39 T a -E5 53 as ROBERT E. MOORE WARREN R. BOWER DONALD F. WILUAMS INVENTOR BY wwwk ATTORNEY Oct. 29, 1957 R. E. MOORE ETAL 2,811,406

GASKET Filed Jan. 25, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ROBERT E. MOORE WARREN R. BOWER DONALD F. WILLIAMS INVENTOR. M M

ATTORNEY United States Patent GASKET Robert Edmund Moore, Whittier, Califl, Warren R.

Bower, Evansville, Ind., and Donald Frederick Williams, Columbus, Ohio, assignors to Amana Refrigeration, Inc., Amana, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Application January 25, 1956, Serial No. 561,213

8 Claims. (Cl. 312-296) This invention generally relates to the freezing and refrigerating art and more particularly is a means for providing an air-tight closure for an unobstructed front access opening to a home freezer or refrigerator cabinet.

Frequently freezer and refrigerator cabinets are constructed with two doors which close centrally to provide a practical closure for an extremely wide cabinet. It is customary in the prior art to construct a cabinet having two doors thereon with a mullion or post extending across the access opening so that each door and the gasket thereon can firmly seat against the edge of the cabinet and against the mullion in order to provide a good seal. This center mullion limits the access to some parts of the shelves and obstructs the view of the user into the compartment of the refrigerator or freezer cabinet.

This center post or mullion is not necessary for the strength or reinforcement of the cabinet itself, and its primary purpose is to provide a continuous flat plane about which the doors can seal when in the closed position. Not only is the center mullion an obstruction in the access opening, but it is an item of considerable expense in the manufacturing process. Another undesirable feature is the fact that it results in additional weight in the finished product.

By means of our invention it is now possible and practical to have a freezer or refrigerator cabinet with an unobstructed front access opening therein covered by two vertically hinged doors closing centrally and at the same time to provide an adequate seal for the refrigerated interior and/or freezer compartment. Our invention also makes it possible to completely eliminate the center mullion or post, thus reducing the cost of manufacture and at the same time reducing the total weight of the finished product.

in addition to providing a seal between the mating edges of the two doors which cover the access opening and around the top, bottom and side of the doors adjacent the outer case of the cabinet, it is also desirable that either door may be opened or closed first or last without regard to sequence. The accomplishment of this objective further complicates the problem of providing an adeqaute seal along the mating edges and at the top and bottom of the cabinet where the mating edges intersect the top and bottom walls. However, this too has been accomplished by means of our invention.

Our invention in general comprises a gasket having a unique cross-sectional configuration which is attached along the mating edge of each of the centrally closing doors on the unobstructed front access opening of a freezer or refrigerator cabinet. This gasket is so constructed and arranged to extend centrally beyond the edge of the door itself and to overlap the gasket extending centrally from the opposite door which closes centrally. Because the gasket is resilient and has an adequate recoverability, either door may be opened or closed in any sequence and the gaskets have a sliding relationship to each other during this process. At the same time an adequate seal is 2,81 1,406 Patented Oct. 29, 1957 provided between the mating edges of the two centrally closing doors.

In addition a special construction is provided where the mating edges of the doors intersect with the top and bottom walls of the cabinet. The gasket about the top, bottom and side of the door, as well as the gasket along the mating edge has been especially shaped and constructed to provide a seal between the door and the cabinet walls, and to provide a seal between the mating edges of the two doors without permitting any leaks between the mating edges of the two doors at the point of intersection with the top and bottom Walls of the cabinet. The two gaskets described are mitered at this corner junction and then are either vulcanized or suitably heat sealed together, making a smooth and continuous sealing surface at the corner itself between the periphery of the door and the cabinet walls and along the mating edges between the doors.

It is therefore an object of our invention to provide a. seal about a front access opening of a cabinet which has no center mullion and has two centrally closing doors.

It is a further object of our invention to provide a gasket of unique and novel cross-sectional configuration.

Still another object of our invention is to provide a gasket along the mating edges of two centrally closing doors, which gaskets overlap each other.

It is still a further object of our invention to provide a seal between the mating edges of two centrally closing doors on a cabinet and yet at the same time provide a means whereby either door may be open or closed in any sequence.

It is yet another object of our invention to provide a means whereby a center mullion in the access opening of a cabinet having two doors which close centrally is completely eliminated.

Still another object of our invention is to provide for simplified cabinet construction and to reduce the cost of manufacture.

Yet another object is to provide a means within a sealing means to prevent condensation of moisture from ambient air.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a cabinet having no center mullion and two doors for closing the front access opening, the doors being hinged at their respective external edges and opening and closing centrally;

Figure 2 is a partial section view taken on line 11-11 of Figure 1, or an enlarged scale;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the gasket which is shown in crosssection in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan view of the mating edges of the centrally closing doors as they seal against the cabinet when closed;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary elevation view taken on line V-V of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a gasket taken on line VlVl of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a horizontal cross section of the cabinet taken on line VIIVII of Figure 1, on a reduced scale.

As shown in the drawings:

Reference numeral 10 represents a freezer or refriger ator cabinet having an outer shell 11 and a compartment 12 within defined by the inner shell 13. Fiber glass or other suitable insulation 14 completely surrounds the inner shell 13 and fills the space between the inner shell 13 and the outer shell 11. An insulating barrier usually in the form of a plastic breaker frame 15 spans the distance between the inner shell 13 and the outer shell 11 about the periphery of the access opening 16 of the cabinet 10. It is to be noted that the cabinet 10 has an unobstructed access opening 16, there being no center mullion or pillar or support of any kind either vertically or horizontally across it.

Two doors 17 and 18 are vertically hinged to the side walls of the outer shell 11 of the cabinet to cover the access opening 16. As shown in Figure 7 these doors 17 and 18 swing in a horizontal plane when being opened or closed and have mating edges 19 and 20 lying adjacent each other at the approximate vertical center of the access opening when in the closed position. These doors are provided with a suitable insulation 21 and a latching mechanism which is not shown.

The gasket 22 is attached about the inner periphery of the doors 17 and 18 by screws 23 or other suitable fastening means which extend through the inner door panel 24, the base 25 of the gasket and seats in the outer door shells 26 and 27 as shown in Figure 2. The gasket 22 is a continuous unit, but is composed of two separate gaskets which are heat sealed at the top and bottom central corners 28, 29, 30 and 31 respectively of the doors l7 and 18. A gasket 32 having a cross section as shown in Figure 6 is positioned along the hinge side and the top and bottom edges of doors 17 and 13. A gasket 33 having a cross section as shown in Figure 2 is positioned vertically along the mating edges 19 and. 20 of doors 17 and 18. The gaskets 32 and 33 are heat sealed at mitered junctions 34 and 35 and will be more fully explained later on.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a seal about the periphery and at the vertical central area of the front access opening 16 of the cabinet 10. The problem arises in providing a seal because there is no center mullion upon which the gasket 33 which extends along the mating edges 19 and 20 of doors 17 and 18 may abut when the doors are in the closed position. This makes it necessary to provide a gasket which will seal between the mating edges 19 and 20 as well as around the outer case 11 of the cabinet 10.

The seal between the mating edges 19 and 20 is made possible by means of the gasket 33 which is vertically aligned and attached to the mating edges 19 and 20 between the inner door panel 24 and the outer door shell 26. The gasket 33 is preferably formed of rubber but may be made of any other suitable resilient material having the necessary properties of recoverability. The gasket 33 is comprised of a base 25 and a bulbous section 36 which is attached at one edge of the base and overlies the fastening means 23 when in position. A built-up portion 37 protrudes upwardly and centrally and culminates in a sealing tip 38 remote from said bulbous section 36 and from said base 25. A fiat top wall 39 overlies the built-up portion 37 and forms a plane which is substantially parallel to the plane of the doors l7 and 18. The sealing tip 38 and the flat top wall 39 is supported in spaced relation to the bulbous section 36 by means of wall sections 40. These wall sections 40 define the two cavities 41 and 42 which assist in providing the desired amount of flexibility during the opening and closing of the doors 17 and 18. A hinge point 43 is an integral part of the wall sections 40 and further provides for the flexing of the sealing tip 38 and wall 39.

The gasket 33 is so constructed and arranged that either door 17 or 18 may be opened or closed first or last without regard to sequence. Referring now to Figure 2 the doors l7 and 18 are shown in the closed position in fragmentary cross section. In the closed position the sealing tip 38a overlies sealing tip 38 and provides a seal along the vertical central portion of the front access opening 16. If door 17 is opened the scaling tips simply separate and when closed they are again juxtaposed in a sealing relationship. If door 18 is to be opened first from the position shown in Figure 2, the sealing tip 38 slides past the sealing tip 38a with a minimum amount of force required and the door 18 is easily opened while the door 17 remains in a closed position. When the door 18 is subsequently closed then the sealing tip 38 overlies the sealing tip 38a in the reverse position as shown in Figure 2. The flexibility of the gasket 33 which is made possible by its construction and the material from which it is made permits either door 17 or 18 to be opened first or last and also permits either door 17 or 18 to be closed first or last. The gasket 33 is sufficiently rigid to maintain its shape substantially as shown and to support the flat top wall 39 constantly in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the doors. At the same time the gasket 33 is sufiiciently flexible to permit a sliding relationship between sealing tips 38 and 38a when the door which is first closed is also the door which is later opened first. This arrangement as just described not only provides a seal about the central portion of the front access opening 16 but also provides a complete seal at the center portion of the top wall as shown in Figure 4 and also at the bottom wall in the central area.

In a cabinet as described in this application and one which has two vertically hinged centrally closing doors, there is frequently an air leak at transition point 44 where the gasket 22 changes from a sealing relationship with the outer shell 11 of the cabinet 10 to a sealing relationship between the mating edges of the two centrally closing doors 17 and 18 in the absence of a center mullion.

By means of our invention we have provided a seal at point 44 as well as around the entire periphery of both doors. The seal at point 44 is in part made possible by the abutting relationship between the flat wall 39 and the outer shell 11. The seal at point 44 is of course equally effective regardless of which door is closed first.

In addition to the gasket 33 which is attached adjacent the vertical mating edges 19 and 20, a gasket 32 of different cross-sectional configuration is attached about the hinged edge and top and bottom of the doors 17 and 18. The gasket 32 may be of any one of a number of cross-sectional configurations and a preferred embodiment of it is shown in Figure 6. The only requirement for the gasket 32 is that the overall free height from the base 25a through the projection 45 be the same distance as from the base 25 to the top of fiat wall 39 of the gasket 33. By constructing gaskets 32 and 33 so that their overall free height is substantially the same a continuous, fiat gasket surface is presented to the top 46 of the outer shell 11, thus providing a seal across the central portion of the access opening 16. The gasket 32 and the gasket 33 are mitered at the junctions 34 and 35 and are heat sealed or vulcanized together at this point. The bulbous section 36 is heat sealed to the walls of the bulbous section 36a and the ends of the built-up portion 37 are covered and heat sealed, thus providing a finished appearance.

As shown in Figure 4, the projection 45 lies in the same plane as the top flat wall 39 when heat sealed into a continuous gasket about the periphery of each of the doors 17 and 18.

The gasket 32 provides a seal between the doors 17 and 18 and the outer shell 11 of the cabinet 10. The gasket 33 which comprises a base 25, a bulbous portion 36 and a built-up portion 37 culminating in a sealing tip 380 and a. top fiat wall 39 provides for the seal in the transition from the seal against the outer case 11 of the cabinet 10 and the central vertical portion of the access opening.

When the gasket 33 is utilized to provide a seal for a freezer cabinet it is desirable to thread a heating element 47 within the cavity 41. Because of the temperature difierential of the air within the freezer cabinet and the ambient air, the sealing tips 38 and 38a and parts of the built-up portion 37 drop below the dew point temperature. of. the ambient air and thus cause moisture to condense along the exterior exposed surfacesof the gaskets 33. The heater wire is a modification of our invention and'by means of it the sealing tips and the exposed walls 40. of the gasket 33 are kept at a temperature which approximates the temperature of "the ambient air and thus prevents sweating or frosting at the overlap of the sealing tips 38 and 38a. This heating element may be of any suitable type but in preferred form it is an electrical resistance element.

From the foregoing description we have disclosed a means for sealing a front access opening of a cabinet which is closed by two doors which have vertical mating edges at the approximate center of the front access opening and in which there is no center mullion. A seal is provided about the periphery of both doors and between the mating edges of the two centrally closing doors. Also, we have provided an economical means to avoid an air leak at the top and bottom junctions of the mating edges of the doors with the outer shell of the cabinet.

Thus it is apparent that by our invention we have completely eliminated the necessity for a center mullion in a freezer or refrigerator cabinet thus reducing the expense thereof and at the same time have provided a new and novel means for sealing the access opening completely. It will of course be apparent that modifications and variations may be made in the structure herein disclosed without departing from the scope or the novel concept of the present invention, which is limited solely by the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. A resilient gasket of uniform cross section comprising a base, a tubular bulb section and tail integral therewith and overlying said base, an irregular shape built-up portion extending from the top front edge of said tubular bulb section, said built-up portion comprising two integral tubular sections, a fiat wall common to both said tubular sections substantially parallel to the plane of said base, an oblique wall common to both said tubular sections, said flat wall terminating in a point with said oblique wall extending from said bulb section.

2. A resilient gasket of uniform cross section comprising a base, a neck integral with said base at one edge thereof, a bulb attached to said neck, a flat wall remote from said bulb being attached thereto by means of oblique and substantially vertical side walls, said side walls and said flat wall terminating in a point at one end thereof, said flat wall being substantially parallel to the plane of said base.

3. A gasket of uniform cross section comprising a base, a multi-walled section partially overlying said base and defining a plurality of cavities, a side wall extending obliquely upward, a fiat top wall substantially horizontal to the plane of said base, said top wall terminating in a point with said side wall, said built-up section being integral with said base at one edge thereof.

4. A resilient gasket of uniform cross section comprising a substantially flat base, a neck integral therewith at one edge thereof, a crescent shaped tubular bulb section overlying said base and attached to said neck at one edge thereof, a V-shaped projection extending from the top of said bulbous section and integral therewith, said V-shaped projection being of uniform thickness throughout its cross-sectional length.

5. In combination with a cabinet having a front access opening therein, a first door and a second door for closing said opening, said doors being hinged at their remote edges and having mating edges substantially at the center of said front access opening, a resilient gasket of uniform cross section attached to each said mating edge of said doors, said gasket comprising a base, a built-up portion partially overlying said base, said built-up portion terminating in a point beyond said mating edge and remote therefrom, said point of said gasket for said front door overlapping said point for said gasket of said second door when in the closed position whereby a seal is provided by means of said overlapping points along the said mating edges of said doors.

6. The combination as described in claim 5, said gasket being so constructed and arranged whereby either door may be open or closed first and either door may be opend or closed last.

7. In combination a cabinet having a top wall, a bottom wall and side walls defining an unobstructed access opening within said cabinet, a first door and a second door for closing said opening, said first door being hinged on one of said side walls, said first and second doors closing centrally of said access opening and having exposed parallel mating edges, a gasket along the mating edge of said first and second doors, said gasket comprising a fiat base, a bulb section partially overlying said base, a built-up portion integral with the front top portion of said bulb section, said built-up portion having a flat top wall substantially parallel to the plane of said base, said top wall forming a point with an oblique wall extending from said bulb section to said top wall, said points of said gaskets overlapping each other when said first and second doors are closed, a second gasket interposed along the top edge, bottom edge and binge side of said first and second doors, said gasket comprising a relatively flat base, a bulbous section overlying said base and attached thereto at one edge, an oblique projection extending from the top of said bulbous portion, the top of said projection being in the same plane as the flat top wall of said first gasket, said first and second gaskets being mitered at the corners thereof and vulcanized into unity at the corner thereof, whereby a seal is provided along said top wall of said cabinet and along said mating edges of said first and second doors and air leaks are completely prevented at the top and bottom walls of said cabinet and at the intersection with said mating edges of said first and second doors.

8. The combination as described in claim 7, the said points of said first gasket slidably engaging each other, said first gasket extending from said top wall to said bottom wall of said cabinet, whereby an airtight seal is provided and whereby said first door may be open or closed as desired and whereby said second door may be open or closed as desired and without regard to sequence.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,507,895 Foxtow May 16, 1950 2,700,194 Rasmussen I an. 25, 1955 2,767,040 Kesling Oct. 16, 1956 

